Good to be Back
by OneDarkandStormyNight
Summary: IM2 drabbles. Various genres: romance, friendship, humor, drama, etc. Movieverse. No slash. Title of drabble #2: Wristwatch; Summary: ...his eyebrows raised at the light skin in the shape of a wristwatch where his luxury Zenith should be.
1. Funny

_When I saw the first one, I wasn't writing for fanfiction and neither was I a fan of RDJ. Needless to say, that has changed. When I saw the second one yesterday, ideas for fics were popping into my head so fast I almost missed half the movie. Typical of me, really. *hehe* So here it is - the first of hopefully more to come. (Though just for the record, I'm going to see it again or wait and buy it before posting the first big one-shot I have planned, just to be sure I get everything accurate.)  
Oh, and by the way, the title may change if I think of a better one.  
Disclaimer: I'm fifteen. It's illegal for me to make a movie according to the law that states I'd be an underaged worker. (Wow. Don't think I've ever actually remembered to add a disclaimer before. I feel proud.)_

**Funny**

It was almost funny.

He had stunningly discovered that he was being slowly poisoned by the one thing keeping him alive, had done everything he had thought to do to find a substitute for the palladium (miserably failing repeatedly), become gradually more indifferent and thrill-seeking as his time ran out, and wracked his brain for a way to tell Pepper the news (failing in that area as well).

He had quite literally risked his safety in the impulsive choice to drive for America in one of the most dangerous automobile races in the world, done a full flip over said racecar and landed with a bone-crushing jolt upside down (centimeters away from a serious concussion on the unforgiving cement), and looked up to see the reason for the violent ending to his high-speed game was an ugly man brandishing two merciless, uglier whips encircled in deadly, electrifying energy that radiated from an unnervingly familiar glowing white orb the center of his chest.

He had only half-consciously attempted to take on the near-murderer despite his weakening lack of suit, nearly had his feet sliced off by the limitless power the whips apparently had (and acquired a painful cut in his cheek for his trouble), barely leapt up in time to avoid being sliced neatly in half, and then was just lucky enough to have his car door cut right down the middle half an inch in front of his face without having even the tip of his nose cut off (though it did get uncomfortably close).

The lunatic guy was being rammed repeatedly with the car and didn't even seem to feel any type of pain. This insanity-driven man was obsessed with one thing and one alone: agonizingly killing Tony Stark. That was disturbingly obvious enough from the demented grin of his twisted face as he lashed out with his crackling weapons over and over again.

And yet, even as this realization flashed through the back of his mind and he screamed for his Iron Man suit, there was only one sane thought pushing itself to the forefront of his brain, echoing endlessly one simple order:

_Protect Pepper._

Yeah, it was almost funny, how much he loved her.

* * *

**More to come...**


	2. Wristwatch

_Wow...didn't expect this one to be almost 500 words long. Guess I just get too carried away sometimes...*biggrin* If you like, leave a review. If you don't, leave one anyway!_

**Wristwatch**

He'd sped well over the law's limit to reach the Stark Tower. He was dying; there was no way around it now. There wasn't enough time to decipher his father's words — if there was anything there to decipher at all.

This thought would've made pleading, praying children out of any other man, there wasn't enough space for it to settle properly in his mind. There was only one thought, one feeling. He had to get to Pepper. Even if she was still upset, he had to at least see it in her eyes that she wouldn't be angry with him forever. He had to know that somewhere, unspoken, she loved him, and would miss him when he was gone. Maybe he'd even get to give her a proper farewell, if she was calmed enough to allow him to explain.

As these thoughts shot through his head with the same dangerous speed of his Audi R8, a little spot of red on a wagon caught his eye on the roadside up ahead….

* * *

Three weeks after the devastating explosion at the Stark Expo in Flushing Meadows, Tony stood tinkering with the arm piece of his latest variation of the Iron Man suit. Hell'd freeze over before he'd let something Justin Hammer practically stole from him and rebuilt upstage his own suit for any longer than was necessary; he smirked as he envisioned Rhodey's reaction to seeing that he had once again taken his place as the rightful Big Gun — literally and figuratively.

"Scan and upload this into the system, JARVIS," he commanded to his trusty assistant as he unrolled his sleeves and refastened the buttons around his wrists (another reason he wished it was acceptable to be shirtless at all times — stupid sleeves were always getting in the freakin' way), and spun his chair from the workstation to his computer display.

"Yes, sir," replied the accented, mechanical voice, coming from no exact source in the big room.

Almost amusingly, Tony noted how dim the workshop had become; he'd been down here for much longer than he'd realized. Pepper would probably have some mile-high pile of political crap for him to sign by now that he should probably get to….

He glanced absently at his wrist out of pure curiosity, and then his eyebrows raised at the light skin in the shape of a wristwatch where his luxury Zenith should be.

As he was pondering this, he suddenly heard a soft noise behind him, and thin fingers touched his shoulder.

"Tony?" came a mildly concerned, feminine voice. "Are you okay? You've been in here for a while. Do you want some supper?"

He couldn't help but smile ironically at the memory of such unnecessary desperation.

* * *

_Just a little side note: I read on answers(dot)com that Tony drives an Audi R8, so if that's not right, take it up with them. And I personally looked up expensive watches, so unless I have psychic abilities I don't know about, it's probably not a Zenith wristwatch in the movie.  
More soon...if I get good reviews, that is...*wink*_


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